Dyad: The Rise of A New Order
by Conversation16
Summary: Takes place during Rise of Skywalker and follows if Chewbucca had been killed with Rey's electrical blast. Rey's fall into darkness and Kylo's rise into the light. Moves and countermoves.


The dust tore at her face as the winds from the ship burnt her lips and sliced her forearms. Rey gritted her teeth and adjusted her footing, there was no way she was letting her friend go. The clouds darkened and were dangerously low – the air on this planet wasn't particularly clean or healthy. The sun belt down in the gaps with a furious desert heat. She felt power surge in her veins, a dark blue river of power she imagined, bringing immense focus and clarity. One deep breath and another focused pulse and she could bring this ship down safely.

"REY!" Finn screamed in the distance. His energy frantic and fiery, pulsed out to her. With an adjustment she refocused, ignoring his desperate cries. So close, she could feel the ship giving way. If they could just wait, Chewie would be safe, they would have the map. Pulses flickered in her body, she had complete control. Relishing in the momentary power, Rey shook and felt the ship pull down slowly. Electricity prickled the soles of her feet and she ground herself in harder. Her mind like a smooth black pool, she allowed the power of all those before her to extend out her fingertips and bring the ship down.

But then something changed, the river of blue in her veins turned tumultuous. The waters foaming and tearing at her muscles from the inside, there was another presence. Her smooth black pool disappeared, and a smoky warmth entered her mind. As if a shadow was standing over her, she felt simultaneously colder and warmer. The electricity in the soles of her feet, taking advantage of her lapse of focus, travelled up her legs to her waist causing her to convulse momentarily. She shook the hair from her eyes and glanced to her left. In her peripheral a black figure approached. Relaxed and curious was his posture. His scarred face held no expression as he raised his hand and mirrored her stance. A sharp pull on the ship and it was no longer in her grasp. She was slipping. She felt the angry licks in her heart, and she growled at him while feeling the sweat bead on her forehead.

"REY!" Finn shouted again, but Rey locked her jaw and tried to breath deeply. She wouldn't win this if she couldn't focus. But it felt like he was mocking her, his casual stance, his effortless power. The wind whipped at his dark hair and she felt his gaze lock on her. He flexed his wrist and grunted, pulling harder than before. The ship caught between the two masters creaked and groaned. Those aboard it shaken to the sides of the ships feeling the gravitational pull fire against the force. She could feel his dark eyes flicking from her to the ship. Her arms ached and her body fought to contain the pulsing within her. She tore her eyes from the ship to stare at her challenger. He was at least a hundred metres away, his cloak billowing behind him as the wind lashed with malice. Her fingers itched to grab her lightsabre and run at him while he was focused. Nervous energy mixed with her focused one adding to the already hostile environment in her belly. The electricity was giving way and subsiding the more she breathed deeply and concentrated on the metal hull above her.

"Rey…" Kylo called, his gruff voice calling out over the wind. Rey felt her heart jolt and her concentration lapse at the sound of his voice. Fear and anger and confusion boiled in her and she cried out in frustration, trying to tear her eyes from his. His gaze bore into hers, his face even from this distance was obviously contorted with effort, she imagined the spit on his lips and the deep knot in his brow he wore when he focused. Upon meeting her eyes, though later she would desperately tell herself she imagined it, she saw him contort into a relaxed smile. It was brief, but for a second it looked as though he found the whole situation amusing. The image of them in the middle of a desert, with a ship between them being torn this way and that – two equals, two masters of the force, the yin and the yang.

His unwavering indifference to her pain, and her passions, to her world filled her with rage. His insolent grin, his curiosity to their bond. Of course, she was curious too, but to be matched with such a monster. Someone who had massacred thousands, a ruthless killer. It made her sick to consider why he would be paired with her. That in someway they were the same. His smile, his ease of movement broke her concentration fully and her river became a fire. She screamed and revelled in the anger and frustration. She let fear and hatred be her guide and the electricity embraced her shaking her body filling her with the most incredible power she had ever felt. She felt like lightening from head to toe, and with a howl she tensed her body and reached for the ship with everything she could muster. Kylo's grip on the ship slipped and with a tragic pull swayed very quickly to the space above Rey's posed body. He stood there with an expression of pure shock feeling his own power falter. She had won, and with a laugh she felt her the electricity reach her fingertips.

A brilliant crack escaped into the sky and blue light flashed over the world. The ship caught alight and exploded in a fiery tirade.

Watching in absolute horror, Rey staggered backwards as remnants of the ship and her friend cascaded down around her. She shook and cast her eyes around in disbelief. She had killed Chewie. Her eyes locked again with her old enemy; his eyes just as wide as hers. He stared in awe and reached his hand out in a hesitant flash, twitching for his sabre but let it fall to his side when he saw her eyes all wild like and filled with tears. There would be no battle today. He turned and ran back to his ship, the dust settling. Rey's eyes cast beyond Kylo to Poe's ship where Finn and Poe would have seen everything. She heard Finn call her name again, though she couldn't see from where. Kylo broke into a run towards his ship and without anything else to do she broke darted forwards to hers. She crossed the desert in a blur as the tears filled up her eyes. She felt powerless and as she stumbled through the hatch into Finn's arms she fell to the floor as Poe started up the engine.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" she cried, sobbing into her friend's arms. He rocked her back and forth, telling her that it wasn't her fault. As they took off and leapt to lightspeed she felt Poe's eyes wash over her with concern and mistrust. Though they both reassured her, the energy onboard was one of caution. Rey felt their silent looks when she turned away or buried into Finn's shoulder. She couldn't blame them, she trusted herself less than they did. They reassured her that it was an accident, or that it was Kylo's doing, but she knew that wasn't true. She had felt the electricity in her veins. She had let herself lose control, she had lapsed into the dark side and her friend had paid the price for it. A thought surfaced that sprung a new wave of tears – maybe she wasn't so unlike Kylo after all.

"_Experiencing it from the other side, I drown in an obsessive pool of desire. I make a god out of the statues in the square and pose myself, laced in silk and drunk on sweet wine, against their hard bodies. Stone does not speak, and yet I will it. I forget myself and crave until morning. There is more to be had than I have." _Her dream voice called out to her, talking in riddles and echoing her fractured mind.

She wiped her tears and walked into the cabin; her legs shaky. Their plan now was to head to Kimji and have the dagger translated from C3-PO's memory, and to do it for Chewbucca. In his honour. She held the wall to steady herself and felt a nausa wave over her. Racing for a bucket next to the bunks she dry-wretched as the guilt fully sunk in. She knew what she had done. Even if the others could forgive her or pretended like it wasn't her fault – she was no longer one of them. She had slipped. She was now an outcast, with nobody. She was not a Jedi, not apart of the rebellion, she wasn't even a scavenger. She was a murderer. A scarred face came to her mind, holding his hand out to hers little over a year ago.

"You are not alone, Rey"

"_Like attracts like"_ she thought grimly.


End file.
